Take August Cfa level 1 or Postpone due to eligibility?

Current sophomore at a target/ivy. Entered college in August 2022 and was projected to graduate by May 2026, but had to take a gap semester due to health issues. I have enough credits, so I can decide to graduate either on time or a semester later (so on December 2026). Was planning on graduating on December 2026 so I would be on the right timeline for IB recruiting, but then I realized I would be ineligible to take the August 2024 exam due to the 23 months before graduation rule.

So here's my question: should I spend $400 on postponing the exam so that I would be inline with the 23 graduation rule or should I just take it in August (and are there any potential consequences)? In addition, would there be any firms still hiring for the class of 2026 during Fall 2024 (this way, I can just graduate by May 2026 and be on time)

Thanks for the help in advance

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